Les Fantôme
by Julia Turpin
Summary: Ever wished you could put your favorite characters into one musical and see what would happen? Welcome to the world of Les Fantôme, (a pun on Les Miserables and Phantom of the Opera). Stay tuned for romance, misunderstandings, and way too much gosh darn operatic revolutionary silliness.
1. Chapter 1 -- The Opera Populaire

_**Chapter One — The Opera Populaire**_

"Avriellea?"

"Wha..." I blearily opened my eyes. The figure of a young blond woman in a white tutu stood over me. A girl ran up to her, long brown hair flowing in tight ringlets. She was wearing a similar outfit.

"Meg! Is she alright? Oh," Christine's face softened when she saw me. Meg stepped aside to let her friend approach me. The young woman cupped my face in her hands, concern filling her eyes.

"Christine, please, the poor thing," Meg reprimanded her friend.

"How on _earth_ did you do this to yourself, Avri?" Christine asked me, more out of worry than anything else.

" _I_ didn't do anything. It was the Phantom," I scoffed, as though it were obvious.

"The Phantom? Avri..." Meg gasped.

"I really don't get you, Megan Giry," I sighed, exasperated. "One minute you're totally enthralled by the idea of a handsome ghost haunting the theatre, and then the moment a backdrop falls, you're paranoid!"

"I would be less worried if they would stop falling on _you_!"

"Meg, you have no sense of adventure. Éponine says she'd be thrilled if she was me. She'd have the Ghost's attention. God knows how much 'Ponine loves attention."

" _Éponine?_ How many times, Avri, she's just a street rat!"

" _She_ is my friend, Meg! I refuse to let you speak about her like that." I crossed my arms and huffed as Christine gingerly wiped blood from the gash on my forehead.

I winced and Meg grimaced apologetically at me. "I'm sorry, Avri, it's just, well, the Phantom's not exactly the most _approachable_ person you could try to look for."

"If only Éponine were here," I pouted. "She wouldn't tell me I was being rash, or impulsive, or a stuck-up prat."

"Your wish is my command, Mademoiselle Casper."

Éponine Thénardier entered the Opera house, sweeping her cap off her dark curls with an over exaggerated bow.

"Epi!" I laughed and embraced my friend, who furrowed her brow and gently touched the long cut on my forehead. When I winced, she quickly jerked her hand away.

"Hey girls!" Éponine called to Meg and Christine. "Go get changed, we're going out."

"Good thing I'm already changed," I mumbled so that only Epi could hear me. Christine scurried off to her dressing room, closely tailed by Meg.

"So," Éponine whispered conspiratorially, pulling me down off the stage, "How did _this_ happen? Did the Opera Ghost get royally-"

"Éponine," I interrupted her, danger coloring my tone. "You are not a sailor. Stop cursing like one."

"Fine then. If they aren't coming, let's go already."

I rolled my eyes. " _There's_ the Éponine I know and love."

"You've lost some of your spunk today, Avri. What's the issue?"

"Oh, nothing, a mysterious man in a mask tried to kill me with a backdrop is all."

"Really?" Éponine raised her eyebrows and grinned. Her gaze wandered to the cut on my forehead, and her smile faltered.

"Really, Epi."

"Okay, okay, I'm ready!" Meg yelled, pulling on a jacket over her dress. Christine came out as well, a little less exuberantly.

"C'mon, Christine, why all the fuss?" I joked, shoving her playfully.

"Do you have a lesson with the illustrious 'music tutor' today?" Éponine grinned, playing off my comment.

"No, it's not that," Christine protested, her voice flustered.

A slap of crisp autumn air hit my face as Meg opened the door. I could see the sun beginning to set in the distance.

Not far off in the street ahead of us, a group of undeniably attractive young men were handing out flyers to random passers by in the street. Éponine ran up to one of them and started a conversation.

Christine turned to Meg and I. "What do you two say we follow her lead?"

Meg grinned. "That sounds like a fabulous idea. The blond one's mine."

Christine glanced shyly at the boy Éponine was talking to. "Maybe I'll just stick with Epi."

"You go ahead. I'll be right behind you," I reassured them as I nudged the two of them into the crowd.

The truth was, I had zero intention of following them. Although I had made nearly instantaneous friendships with Éponine, Meg, and Christine, I was still nervous about meeting- _boys._

"Mademoiselle! A moment of your time?"

I turned around to see— _the most beautiful young man I had ever laid eyes on._ He had dark curly hair and a red vest with a red, white and blue pin on it. His eyes were a warm golden brown. His voice was deep, and sounded like— _mmm... molten chocolate?!_

 _Curse you and your tendency to freeze around handsome guys, Avriellea,_ I reprimanded myself. _Say something, you idiot!_ "Uh, yes?"

"I was..." His eyes met mine for the first time, and he faltered for a millisecond before clearing his throat. "My name is Enjolras. I am a student. I would greatly appreciate any funding you might be able to provide?"

"Of- of course!" I dug into the pocket of my skirt before handing him a couple dozen francs. His eyes widened at the amount of money. "Take it!" I hissed, looking around. His hand moved towards mine, and our fingertips brushed as he took the coins.

I felt my face growing hot despite the frigid air. And suddenly, he was gone. Just like that.


	2. Chapter 2 -- Love and the Weather

_**Chapter Two — Love and the Weather**_

"Avri?" Éponine ran up beside me and grinned at what must have been my stunned expression.

"Yes, Éponine?" I crossed my arms, attempting to act like nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Did you talk to any cute revolutionaries?"

"One, yeah," I replied, trying to be nonchalant.

"Well, spill!" Meg urged, coming next to Éponine. "You didn't say he wasn't cute, so he must have been adorable!"

"He- he was tall, only a little taller than I am, and had these beautiful brown eyes and dark curly hair," I sighed involuntarily as I recounted Enjolras's appearance for my friends. "And his voice... it was so rich and resonant."

"Sounds to me like someone is in loveeee…" Éponine sang.

"Who's in what now?" Christine asked as she neared our group.

"Nothing," I snapped hastily, earning a reprimanding look from Meg.

"How was Marius?" Éponine asked Christine, whose face was very flushed.

"Oh, he's lovely, Éponine, thank you," Christine beamed. I hadn't seen her this happy in a long time. Must be this Marius guy she found.

" _Unpredictable, irresponsible, unbelievable, unreliable, ever since the world began... our Cupid-_ " Éponine nudged me, and continued singing when I rolled my eyes. _"And the weather-man..."_

" _Love and the Weather,_

 _Birds of a feather,_

 _Can't be depended upon,_

 _One day it's sunny,_

 _Next day the sunshine has gone._

 _Love and the Weather,_

 _Always together,_

 _Planning another surprise,_

 _Bringing the raindrops_

 _just like the tears to your eyes..._

 _Any guy with love close by is cozy and warm-_

 _Love walks out-_

 _And kicks a guy right out of the warm, into a storm_

 _Moonlight romances,_

 _Have to take chances,_

 _That's what you learn with the dawn…_

 _Love and the Weather,_

 _Can't be depended upon!"_

Meg winked and shoved Éponine playfully before starting to sing herself.

" _Love and the Weather,_

 _Birds of a feather,_

 _Can't be depended upon,_

 _One day it's sunny,_

 _Next day the sunshine has gone._

 _Love and the Weather,_

 _Always together,_

 _Planning another surprise,_

 _Bringing the raindrops_

 _just like the tears to your eyes..._

 _Any gal who's Cupid's pal is cozy and warm-_

 _Love walks out-_

 _And kicks our gal right outta the warm, into a storm,_

 _Moonlight romances,_

 _Have to take chances,_

 _That's what you learn with the dawn..._

 _Love and the Weather,_

 _Can't be depended upon!"_

Éponine giggled and ran around behind me to put her arm through Meg's and strutted down the street.

" _Any guy with love close by is cozy and warm!"_

" _Love walks out and kicks a gal right outta the warm-"_

The two of them stopped and sang together, holding hands and leaning close to each other.

" _Into a storm,_

 _Moonlight advances,_

 _Love's golden chances,_

 _Rain comes along and they're gone..._

 _Love and the Weather change your night to dawn!"_

Éponine ran up to me and grabbed my shoulder. _"Unpredictable!"_

Meg did the same, her hands on my other shoulder. " _Irresponsible!"_

" _Unbelievable!"_

" _Unreliable-"_

" _Love and the Weather cannot be depended upon!"_ The two friends ran around in front of me and posed on the final beat, panting hard from their exertion.

Christine clapped loudly, and I rolled my eyes, starting a slow-clap. Meg and Éponine shot a grin at each other before running up to and hugging me.

"Okay! Okay! That's enough!" I protested as Épi began to cut off my breathing. She set me down reluctantly and looked back at the crowd of revolutionaries.

"So, what was his name, Avri?" Meg asked, wiping her mouth with her hand.

"I- I don't know," I lied quickly.

" _Mine_ was named Granataire. He was so cute- you wouldn't believe it," Meg gushed.

"Not as cute as Enjolras," I blurted before I could stop myself.

"Oh, Avriellea, that's so... _French_!" Christine swooned, hugging me tightly. "Enjolras," she repeated softly, her eyes distant.

"Wait- that's his name?" Éponine sputtered, stunned. "I heard from Marius that he's never been one to spend time with girls. Looks like you'll be the one doing the falling, Avri."

"He's the leader of the revolutionaries," Meg bit her lip as she glanced in the direction of the blond haired student with the green vest she had spoken to earlier.

"Who? Granataire?" I asked, hardly daring to believe the staggeringly tall blonde was the brilliant, powerful force behind the revolution.

"No, silly, Enjolras." I couldn't tell if it was only my imagination, or if Meg was actually stressing the syllables so that the final one slipped off her tongue and echoed in the frigid winter air.

 _Enjolras_. Even his name was enough to send chills down my arms, and ignite a flaming sensation in my chest. "No way. That didn't seem like something he would do."

And even as I spoke it, I realized I was lying to myself. The position suited him perfectly. He was good-looking, a natural leader, and his voice— _oh, God, his voice_ — could convince anyone to come running to his side.

That was the moment I knew I was in love.

And, coming to that realization, I also discovered there was nothing I could do to change that.


	3. Chapter 3 -- I Won't Say

_**Chapter Three — I Won't Say/Telling the World**_

(Later that evening, in Meg's dressing room)

"So… Christine," I nudged the brunette softly. "You still haven't told me anything about Marius."

I saw her eyes flicker to the floor shyly. Marius was very handsome, his deep chocolate eyes sparkled with mischief and youth. No wonder both Éponine and Christine had feelings for him. The question was, however, if _he_ loved them in return.

In fact, the only member of our little group who had actually gotten love at first sight was Meg. She had been relentlessly bombarding us with questions about her hair, her makeup, her dress- all because of this poor revolutionary named Granataire who had stolen her heart, and given her his in return.

I had to hand it to Christine, Marius was adorable. The way the light glinted in his deep brown eyes made him irresistibly attractive to everyone except me. How on earth was that man not married with seven kids already?

"Well, you know, I was kind of reluctantly following Éponine when I bumped into him. He actually knocked me over. I kind of yelled at him to watch where he was going- and then I saw him." Her voice took on a dreamy quality. "His eyes got all wide and sparkly as he offered me his hand. Then, very softly, he apologized for running into me. He pulled me upright and we started a conversation."

"Aww… how sweet," Meg gushed. "I bet he totally wanted to run into you again- but on purpose."

"Maybe he did…" Christine said thoughtfully before her face hardened and she crossed her arms decidedly. _"If there's a prize for rotten judgement, I guess I've already won that. No man is worth the aggravation— That's ancient history, been there, done that!"_

We raised our eyebrows at Christine before joining her in song. _"Who'd you think you're kidding? He's the Earth and Heaven to ya, try to keep it hidden— honey, we can see right through ya, girl you can't conceal it, we know what you're feeling- who you're thinking of!"_

Christine rolled her eyes. _"No chance, no way I won't say it no, no!"_

Meg ran over to the door and I joined her, blocking the path of escape. _"You swoon, you sigh, why deny it uh-uh?"_

" _It's too cliché! I won't say I'm in love…"_ Christine sighed and buried her face in her hands before continuing, _"I thought my heart had learned its lesson. It feels so good when you start out, my head is screaming 'Get a grip girl! Unless you're dying to cry your heart out!'"_

" _Girl you can't deny it- who you are and how you're feeling, baby we're not buying- hon we saw you hit the ceiling- face it like a grownup, when you gonna own up that you got, got, got it bad?"_

" _No chance, no way I won't say it no, no!"_

" _Give up, or give in!"_

Meg leaped over next to Christine and put her arm around her shoulder. _"Check the grin, you're in love!"_

Christine jumped away and stood with her hands haughtily on her hips. _"This scene, won't play, I won't say I'm in love…."_

At the same time, Meg and I replied, _"We'll do it until you admit you're in love!"_

Christine raised her arms in mock surrender, _"You're way off base, I won't say it!"_

Meg and I looked at each other and muttered, _"She won't say in love!"_

Christine walked over to the mirror and fixed her hair. _"Get off my case, I won't say it!"_

" _Girl don't be proud it's okay, you're in love…"_

" _At least out loud, I won't say I'm in love…."_

Meg made eye contact with me and gave me a double thumbs-up. Our work here was done.

—

(at the same time, in the ABC Café)

"Marius, you're late!" Enjolras called as the black-haired student entered the cafe more than 40 minutes later than he was supposed to arrive.

"What's wrong today? You look as if you've seen a ghost!" Joly observed, and pulled up a chair for him.

"Some wine, and say what's going on!" Granataire offered jovially, handing Marius his bottle.

"A ghost you say? A ghost may be, she was just like a ghost to me— One minute there, than she was gone!" Marius said softly as he took a tentative sip from the bottle before pulling a face and handing it back to Granataire.

"I am agog- I am aghast! Is Marius in love at last? I've never heard him 'oo' and 'ahh!'" Granatiare mocked. "You talk of battles to be won-" here he pointed to Enjolras- "and here he comes like Don Juan! It is better than an opera!" Granataire collapsed into a fit of laughter, joined by a few other students.

Marius looked around at his fellow revolutionaries before starting to sing. _"Every part in my heart I'm giving out, every song on my lips I'm singing out, any fear in my soul I'm letting go, and anyone who asks I'll let 'em know-"_

He stood and walked over to Granataire, clapping a hand on his shoulder. _"She's the one, she's the one- I say it loud! She's the one, she's the one, I say it proud. Ring a bell, ring a bell for the whole crowd, ring a bell, ring a bell—"_

Marius jumped up on a table, the lights glittering in his eyes. _"I'm telling the world, that I found a girl, the one I can live for, the one who deserves…"_

" _Every part in my heart I'm giving out, every song on my lips I'm singing out- every fear in my soul I'm letting go, and anyone who asks I'ma let 'em know."_

He stepped down off the table and ran to one side of the room, a huge grin on his face. _"She's the one, she's the one, I say it loud! She's the one, she's the one, I say it proud. Ring a bell, ring a bell for the whole crowd- ring a bell, ring a bel!"_

Marius raced to the door and pulled on his jacket. _"I'm telling the world, that I found the girl, the one I can live for, the one who deserves, to give all my life, a reason to fly, the one I can live for, a reason for life…"_ He twisted the door handle and leapt outside, leaving Enjolras and the rest of the revolutionaries in stunned silence.

 _ **Author's Note:**_ **I'm leaving this in bold to differentiate from the rest of the chapter. I realized I forgot to mention the songs I've been using. The second chapter was "Love and the Weather" from Irving Berlin's** _ **White Christmas.**_ **The third chapter used both "I Won't Say (I'm In Love)" from Disney's** _ **Hercules**_ **, and "Telling the World" by Taio Cruz from** _ **Rio.**_ **All these songs can be found on Apple Music, or YouTube.**

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter. I know you've been waiting for it. Here are some questions that you can answer by leaving me a review. What is the name of the song in the ABC Cafe that the scene started with? There are technically two answers, and I'll accept both. Who is your favorite character so far? Do you approve of MariusXChristine?**


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